I've been furloughed until March! Kids aren't at home. What now?!

[MrsMiaWallis]

I've just found out I've been furloughed until March.

Two kids at uni and one at boarding school (this has all happened in the last month, dc bursary kid at local independent, wasn't supposed to board but due to covid he has been offered a full boarding place as the day option would mean he couldn't do the thing he went there for - music).

So I have the weird feeling of having nothing to do with my life until March!

Any ideas on what a 54 year old woman can do with her life until then?!

Volunteer.

I have 10 month old twins. I'm looking for volunteers 😂

Seriously tho, I'd look at what services you could offer to charities needing the help. It'll also keep your CV fresh if you are made redundant

Jigsaw puzzles - without looking at the picture on the box.

I'd be looking for a new job to be honest. Everyone I know of that has been furloughed, has ultimately been made redundant.

I've just had a couple of days off and filled that cutting back my garden

I've admitted defeat and have booked a gardener to come in and blitz it 🙈. It's been totally neglected this year. By the time we get to Christmas it will have been a year since Ive had any time off work, the garden has well and truly slipped in my priorities.

@Mintychoc1

This is so wrong. Surely if you aren’t needed for 5 months then your company is not viable. It shouldn’t just trundle along using tax payers money to stay afloat, when it clearly can’t survive on its own.

It's not at all wrong. Not sure if you've noticed but Covid has damaged some businesses! Hopefully temporarily. There isn't enough work for me at the moment, but there almost certainly will be from March.

Not everyone I know who has been on furlough has been made redundant, but I realise that could be a possibility, particularly if things don't improve for the arts by March.

Thanks for so many fantastic ideas.

@Nonimai

I’m in almost exactly the same situation. DS forced to board full time at school. This summer I have been mostly growing vegetables, doing diy, doing Centre of Excellence courses, taken up playing the violin again and watching quizzes and documentaries. If only pub quizzes still existed, I would be the star.

Ha! I've also been watching lots of quizzes! Hope your ds is ok at school. Mine is enjoying 'parts' of it!

Could you start by helping count some US postal votes so we can find out whether Trump is going!!

Whilst some people have had to work incredibly hard in v stressful circumstances (and continue to do so) thinking some PP have been pretty mean.

Having 6 months off work on full pay sounds amazing but with so many restrictions, actually the thought of spending that time mostly on your own without the chance to travel, meet friends, go out etc is completely different to normal life, and I think a lot of people would feel apprehensive about spending 6 months mostly on their own with no obvious structure to the day.

It is all extremely unfair as many of us who will be paying for all this furlough don't get a penny but that is life - very unfair

I will also be paying for it Xenia

[quote olderthanyouthink]@StealthPolarBear yes you can have "overlapping" jobs where you're furloughed from one so long as your contract doesn't say otherwise. SIL did it and paid of debts and sorted some savings.

You can freelance while on maternity leave which is kinda similar and I know someone who got double mat pay as she technically had two employeers (one of them being her own company, her accountant pointed it out she didn't make it up) [/quote]
Oh wow, so I’m working my arse off and will be subject to higher taxes next year so that people on furlough can pay off debt and start some savings? Wonderful!

@MrsMiaWallis

It is all extremely unfair as many of us who will be paying for all this furlough don't get a penny but that is life - very unfair

I will also be paying for it Xenia

Your increase in taxes will in no way add up to five months of 80% pay... thought you were in finance?!

I am not sure how we can be sure about who much taxes will go up. I don't get furlough. If Mrs Smith gets 5 months x the maximum furlough of £2k before tax = £10k (ignore tax she pays to keep it simple) and if 80% of workers are now paid by the state which I think they are including NHS workers and teachers who of course are still working.... there is going to be a lot of tax. Much much more than 5 months x £2k. Also there are not very many rich people so most tax payers whether they only pay VAT or also pay income tax will be the ones paying for this for decades.

If Mrs Smith got £10k furlough cash she might well end up paying £10k of extra taxes over the next 10 years. More of a worry is that those who have no furlough money and aren't paid by the state are likely to be those paying to keep Mrs Smith at home with her feet up for 5 months and our taxes without a doubt will increase by well over £10k and a lot more.

Its the luck of the draw. I went on furlough then got made redundant, can only find a much lower paid role , and still bankrolling the furlough scheme from my meagre wages but that's life.
When I was on furlough I redecorated a couple of rooms , but I also had ds to keep me busy.
I'm.sure op realises how privileged she is and I say good luck to her !

You could help people to self isolate by doing their shopping / dog walking. Local Mutual Aid groups on Facebook, or info on local council website.

You can get a private subscription to The Massolit, which has hundreds of online lectures on humanities subjects for £89 - they're pitched around A-level.

@Queuing4Fergs

Totally insensitive OP. Read the room

Absolutely. This forum is full of people who are on their knees with exhaustion, working long hours and managing a family. Also people who have lost their jobs and are worried about paying their bills. So coming on here presenting your dilemma - full pay and unlimited free time - is pretty insensitive.

Mintychoc1

There are lots of posts on here from all kinds of people.

The title of the thread makes its content obvious. Just scroll on by.

Your increase in taxes will in no way add up to five months of 80% pay... thought you were in finance?!

Nor will yours.

As I said , from experience " volunteering" is not that simple. There is often a sizeable queue ahead of you. Many things are closed. You need references and possibly a DBS.

Just had an email saying furlough reviewed in January! So feeling a bit less at sea over it now.

Well op this does mean you’ve got to get going ! You may only have two months to -
Lose a stone
Learn an instrument
Learn a new language / take a course
Volunteer
Walk and paint
Take up photography
I think you could maybe take today a bit easy but then ready, steady, GO !!!

Have you been on furlough previously op? It seems strange that since the 80% scheme has been reintroduced many people will be going back on furlough. Rishi is set to review in January and if it ends then I suspect many people will be coming back into work. 🤷‍♂️

@HeronLanyon

Well op this does mean you’ve got to get going ! You may only have two months to - Lose a stone Learn an instrument Learn a new language / take a course Volunteer Walk and paint Take up photography I think you could maybe take today a bit easy but then ready, steady, GO !!!

Oh god!!

Would learning something like coding be useful for your industry?

@dangerrabbit

Would learning something like coding be useful for your industry?

I'd like to learn coding actually! Always thought I was too old. In fact if I could do things all over again I would have gone into computing.